Kendrick Perkins Struggled to Pick Winner of Thunder-Timberwolves Series

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated May 20, 2025 7:33 AM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves kick off their Western Conference finals series on Tuesday night in what is expected to be an all-out battle between two teams with bold championship aspirations this season.

ESPN will provide the broadcast for Game 1, which means that fans will hear a lot from Kendrick Perkins. The one-time NBA champion big man turned sports analyst, however, remains undecided with regard to his bet for the West Finals.

When asked to share his thoughts on the series, Perkins refused to pick a winner.

"It's going to be a brawl for it," Perkins said on Sunday. "... This series is going seven games.

"And listen, I haven't decided who I'm going to roll with yet. But I do know this. It's going to be physical."

Perkins talked up the matchup between Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. According to the former Boston Celtics center, he believes Edwards will be playing with a chip on his shoulder, especially if Gilgeous-Alexander is announced as the league MVP.

Perkins was then asked to stop stalling and to take his pick between the two teams, but the ESPN sportscaster still refused to do.

"I can start all the way up until 30 minutes into a game time," he said. "You know what I mean? I'm undecided."

It remains to be seen if Perkins will pick a winner before Game 1 or if he intends to wait and see what happens in the series opener. At this point, however, it's hard to deny that this clash is already giving off a vibe of being a long series ahead.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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